Mayor Barrett highlights housing rehabilitation work underway in the greater Sherman Park area

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Mayor Tom Barrett walked through the Sherman Park Neighborhood where 100 homes have been demolished and rehabbed. He said the project is coming along and may even expand to other areas.

"Has there been progress? Yes. Is there a lot more work to be done? Absolutely yes. I'm very mindful of the fact there are far too many people who don't have jobs where they can support their families," said Mayor Barrett.

The city used the 2 million dollars from a lawsuit towards renovating the homes.

They say it has provided dozens of jobs for people in the community and helped train others in key job skills. Mayor Barrett is facing criticism for how he used that money.

"I've been proven true a one-time pot of money which is good to invest in houses that were boarded up and abandoned but it was one time and it was gone. What happened in Sherman Park took decades to create, will take decades to build. We can't fool ourselves that a couple million dollars for 100 homes is going to change what took 30 years to create. We need a much bigger investment strategy and much longer dedication to change the economy," said Rep. Evan Goyke.

State Senator Lena Taylor also criticized the Meri Program saying money should have gone to improve community police relations.